THE PRINCE OF WALES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17450, 21 April 1920, Page 7

THE PRINCE OF WALES.

1 ARRIVAL AT SUVA. : 1 MET BY NATIVE CANOES. 1 DEPARTURE ON THURSDAY. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received 7.30 p.m.) t A. sad N.Z. SUVA, April 20. a a The Renown arrived here this afternoon, j All are -well. She will leave here on t Thursday. * Showery -weather interfered with the t spectacular side of the arrival, but a flo- c tilla of native canoes escorted the Renown into harbour. The Governor, Sir Cecil Rodwell, visited the Prince immediately. The Prince gives dinner aboard the Renown to-night, and makes an official landing to-morrow morning. Suva ■is gaily decorated forthe occasion. FUN ON THE RENOWN. GROBBING THE LINE. j THE PRINCE INITIATED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. ] (Seed. 9.50 p.m.) H.M.B. RENOWN, BTJVA. April 20. Crossing-the-line ceremonies on the Renown on April 16 and. 17 evolved into a • great sea pageant produced on a scale of magnificence never before attempted in the ' navy. The Prince, Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, Captain Dudley North, Captain • E. A. Taylor, and otriers took part in a well-organised scenic display and recited speeches welcoming King Neptune and his ■ attendant court. The crowd of supernumeraries, reinforced by the ship's band, ' all wore quaint, striking, and original costumes. The fact that the Prince, with his whole staff, decided to undergo the ceremonies of initiation lent unprecedented interest to the occasion. The proceedings began on the night of the 16th. just before the ship actually crossed the equator, when King Neptune ' from the sea hailed Captain Taylor on the bridge, who stopped the ship and invited Neptune aboard. Rockets sent up fro.u . the forecastle disclosed Neptune with a few attendant bears emerging from a hawsepipe. The captain megaphoned an invitation to him to come up on the flag deck, where Neptune was received 'n formal state by the Prince, the admiral, the captain, and ship's officers. Speeches were delivered in blank verse, and Neptune saluted and welcomed the Prince. The captain invited Neptune and his ' bears to take wine. Arrangements were: made for receiving the Sea King next j 1 morning. | On the 17th Neptune and his retinue of j over seventy performers, with the ship's band, marched in procession to the quarterdeck, where they were received by the i • Prince, the admiral, the captain, and I others. ! Neptune announced that he was honoured | by the desire of His Royal Highness to be j ■ initiated as King Neptune's friend and a I member of the Sea King's brotherhood, j The ceremony of investiture was then carried out, Neptune investing the Prince with the Order of the Royal Equatorial Bath, placing the order on his coat. The I Prince replied in verse, thanking Neptune J "for this handsome collar" and adding, significantly, "I'm well aware there's something more to follow." Admiral Halsey, Captain Dudley North, and the others >• were invested with various orders, Admiral a Halsey reciting a long reply in blank verse* „ full of topical personal allusions, which evoked roars of laughter. Neptune caused the arrest of Colonel Grigg, the Prince's r secretary, and Lore Louis Mountbatten as " special prisoners charged with conspiracy. ; He found that they had made a plot to 1 duck Neptune and refused to accept his j jurisdiction on the theological ground that j he was a pagan deity. Colonel Gr'gg an<i Lord Mountbatten were manacled and led ] away by Neptune's police for special treat- j i ment. j The procession then marched to the fore- 1 i castle deck, where- a platform had been' . erected on 15-inch guns swung on turrets ] and pointing over the starboard side. A. j e large tank full of water had been pre-1 0 pared and trick barber's chairs were place 1 ; on the platform at the edge of the tank : e for novices. Bears chosen from the officers n waited in the bath to duck the novices i y After further dramatic speeches, the Prince . on the platform took off his clothes, ap,f pearing in a bathing suit, and seated him--1 self in a chair, where he submitted to the ,1 attentions of Neptune's officials. The Prince „ was lathered freely with various and manj. n coloured substances from buckets and a shaved by Neptune's barber. He received e a pill of "medicine from Neptune's docto-, e and was then tipped over backwards into e the tank, where the bears, loudly growling. y ducked him three times, according to the ' a ritual. The Chief Bear was Captain Dude ley North, who acted his part with much g spirit. Colonel Grigg, fully dressed in a . s tropical silk suit, smilingly submitted him self to the attendants, who lathered. . s shaved, and physicked him, and then v dragged him into the water bv a rope , around hn waist, liberallv ducking him. } ' A similar experience befell Lord Mountg batten and other officer novices. After--11 wards the officers' bears were withdrawn h and the men's bears went into the tank. e All novices in the ship's company undern went immersion ceremonies, d The part of Neptune was performed by IS Chief Gunner Ennght, who displayed 1 n fine voice and much elocutionary skill, y reciting a long part in blank verse. The [g entire pageant was produced under the . s direction of Commander Rogers, whose j a junior officers exhibited much ability in d organising the extensive show. ,0 —